Some 30 climbers sick on Mt Everest after two deaths

May 23, Kathmandu: Some 30 climbers have suffered frostbite or become sick near the summit of Mount Everest, two deaths from apparent altitude sickness.

Two Indian climbers have also been reported missing in the mountain's so-called "death zone" near the summit, reports said.

Mountaineering Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said that most of the sick climbers suffered frostbite while attempting to reach the summit or on their descent.

A Norwegian woman, 45-year-old Siv Harstad, suffered snow blindness and was helped down from the summit Saturday, the Norwegian news agency NTB said.

Dutch climber Eric Ary Arnold died on Friday, after reaching the summit, while on Saturday, 34-year-old Australian woman Maria Strydom also died while descending from the peak. They are the first fatalities of the season, according to reports.

Favorable weather has allowed nearly 400 climbers to reach the summit from Nepal since May 11, but the altitude, weather and harsh terrain can cause problems at any time.

This climbing season is the first since an earthquake in Nepal last year that killed at least 18 people on Everest.The Oslo Times